


From Ice to Darkness

by morgansoul



Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, Broomhead is that bitch that's always there, Drama, F/F, Hurt, Post Season 3, mentions to shelf-harm/shelf-injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-09
Updated: 2019-07-09
Packaged: 2020-06-25 13:17:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19746529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morgansoul/pseuds/morgansoul
Summary: Hecate has been through a lot in the last years, but now she has Pippa with her to help, even if she doesn't call her, she will always come to her.





	From Ice to Darkness

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [From ice to darkness](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19140034) by [morgansoul](https://archiveofourown.org/users/morgansoul/pseuds/morgansoul). 



> I'm sorry I could not update the Pentangle's Bakery fic, but that's what the exams and the university have. I promise to dedicate myself to that story asap (now I have already translate this, I have more time).
> 
> I leave this here, I have been writing between times, I hope you like it. It's a kind of explanation of why Pippa has not been this season, why she has not helped Hecate or how I think she might have reacted to the incidents happened to Hecate. I just tried to fix the season 3 with a bit of Pippa.
> 
> There is a small mention of self-injury at the end.
> 
> All the mistakes are on my own, there has been no revision and you know English is not my mother tongue.

For Pippa, that academic course had been the longest in all the years she had spent as headmistress. The Council had carried out at least three inspections on the grounds that they did not rely on modern magic, before Yule's holidays the vast majority of pupils and some of the teachers had fallen victim to a dragon flu epidemic and by the middle of the second term, two third-year students had decided that bringing brooms to life throughout the academy was a good way to impress their peers.

Pippa had been so busy with her academy and the various problems she faced that her conversations with Hecate had gone from a minimum of one a week to, hopefully, one a month. The last time they had spoken was two months ago.

In a way, the blonde rebuked herself for allowing her hard-earned contact with her best friend to be almost overruled by her duties. She had certainly been busy and the children went first, but something inside her broke every time the week was over and she realized that she hadn't spoken to Hecate either. However, when she spoke to her, it felt as if an entire lifetime waiting was an acceptable price to pay only for a few minutes of conversation.

Hecate Hardbroom had always been her safe place, at least before she decided to suddenly distance herself. The witch could not understand how or why, but from the moment she met the dark haired she knew she had something special, something that attracted her like a magnet and what she herself did not intend to resist. The years of separation made her realize of what that something could be; the pain she felt when her friend walked away showed her what had been hidden from her sight until then. Pippa had spent years in love with her best friend but had not been able to see it until she distanced herself and, with it, broke her heart. Even if the blonde thought she had overcome it, that time of hatred, scathing comments and far-sheade had served to make her forget, every time her eyes met those of Hecate, or she heard her voice, or saw her smile, or felt that soft vanilla scent. It was then that the witch realized that she was still as madly in love with the dark-haired as she did three decades ago.

Pippa had begun to think that her friend was interested. It had been in the middle of the previous year, a year after they had reconciled, when Hecate had begun to lower her defenses gradually; if there wasn’t for the incident and misunderstanding about Cackle's direction, she may not have even lifted them up again. But for the pink witch, it had not been as difficult as the first time to lower them again, slowly, carefully, without forcing her friend.

The thought that she was getting her Hiccup back became decisive when she visited the Cackle academy a few days after Halloween, true to her weekly game of chess—something that at that time seemed distant and almost a fantasy, she might not even remember how to play now.

_The incident of the Founding Stone quickly spread between academies and the magical media. No one was talking about the culprits, but they did talk about a little heroine who had given the answer to revive the stone and had saved Cackle’s Academy, again._

_In no means did they talk about witches trapped in ice, about the ordinary woman who took out one of them or the art teacher who was tried right after the incident. All that was silenced between the walls of the academy and those of the Council._

_But Pippa intuited it. She had a bad feeling on Halloween, she could feel like something inside her seemed to freeze, as if a part of her was doing it. But it was impossible, she was wearing a pink hoodie and sitting in front of the fireplace lit in her room. In addition, a voice in her head told her that something was wrong the first two times Hecate didn't take her call and didn't even show up in the mirror area. That night the cold did not leave Pippa's body and her dreams were populated with nightmares in which she froze completely. When the news spread, the witch made all the arrangements necessary to take the next day free._

_As soon as she dismantled her broom in closest rea to the teachers' rooms, Pippa made both hat and cloak vanish before heading inside the castle. Perhaps if she had thought a little, she would have gone to the dark witch's office, but, letting herself be carried away by her instinct, she ended up standing in front of her rooms’ door. Pippa raised her hand and her knuckles, still holstered in pink gloves, struck the dark wood of the door. There was no answer, which made the blonde question whether her friend would not be teaching or in her office working, she was always working… Why did she even try in her rooms?_

_She was turning when the door opened, but the face Pippa expected to see was not the one that appeared in front of her. It was Miss Drill who opened the door and who gave Pippa a friendly smile before leaving the room and closing after her, without giving her a chance to enter or observe a slight glimpse of Hecate's room._

_“She needs to rest, Miss Cackle's orders" the witch said, by way of explanation. "I just left her a bowl of soup, but I don't think even that can make her warmup. With the girls it seems to have worked to send them home, with Miss Cackle a cup of tea and a long conversation in front of the fireplace, but with her... We have no idea of what to do.”_

_“Miss Drill…”_

_“Yes?”_

_“I have no idea what you're talking about” the blonde confessed, leaning slightly on the wall by the door._

_“Don't you have it?”_

_“No, I don't” she frowned with clear confusion._

_“Oh, she told me that you were coming, so I thought… Anyway, what are you doing here if you didn’t?”_

_“I... Visit Miss Hardbroom, like every week... On Thursdays we meet to play chess and have tea. Besides... Well, I had a bad feeling the other day and I was worried because since then she didn’t answer my calls.”_

_“Oh, that's funny... You see, it's because of what happened to the stone, some girls, Miss Cackle and Miss Hardbroom were hit by the ice, all of them still trying to recover from...” But without giving her time to say one more word, with an alarmed expression and a lump in the throat fruit of her worries Pippa pushed the door and entered Hecate's room, leaving a still talking Miss Drill behind._

_Seeing that Hecate was not in the living room where the fireplace, her desk and a large pile of papers, an armchair, a sofa and a table were located, Pippa decided to advance to the next room in her friend's cameras, then in her bedroom._

_The image she saw before her was disheartening and lovable at the same time. Hecate was incorporating, shaking and with slightly disheveled hair, as it fell on her shoulders and back to her waist; she was pale, with clear dark circles and buried under at least five blankets and several layers of clothing._

_“I-I'm sorry I couldn't receive you. I-I felt your magic, b-but I'm not feeling v-very well... I forgot to warn you t-to cancel today's game" hugging herself, the dark-haired took several deep breaths, trying to stop shaking from head to toe._

_“You have nothing to feel sorry about, Hiccup” the blonde's eyes showed her concern, which only increased when her friend acknowledged not being well. Hecate never recognized that she was unwell, so it had to be serious. “Miss Drill just told me what happened... If I'd known, I'd have come sooner” Pippa sat on the edge of the bed and extended one of her hands, leaving it on her friend's leg, palming up, waiting for her to took it.”Do you want me to make you a cup of tea? Dimity brought you a bowl of hot soup if you’d prefer it...”_

_“I-I don't think he can e-eat...” It took her several seconds, but she finally let one of her hands peel off her body and go to Pippa's._

_The blonde let out a small cry when she felt how cold Hecate's hand was and soon wrapped herself in her stun, hoping to give her some warmth. The potion teacher's breathing seemed to relax a little for a couple of seconds, but the tremors soon took over her body._

_“Even if you can't eat, you need to do it... Something hot will do you good” Pippa had noticed that subtle change in the body of the opposite, partly because she always looked at the details concerning her friend’s body, partly because with Hecate nearby she could never look. Before the witch could complain or resist, Pippa took advantage of the potion teacher’s hand being caught between hers to pull her and bring the dark-haired closer, wrapping arms her around her and taking her in a careful and loving embrace. ”For Morgana, Hiccup, you're freezing...” She whispered against her shoulder and hid her face in the crock of her neck, breathing deep against her skin._

_“L-leave my cat out of this…”_

_“For the Goddess… You just tried to make a joke, you will probably be dying”_ _Pippa wasn't sure if her heart had stopped or if she was going so fast she didn't even feel it, but she hoped to be the only one to realize it. Especially when Hecate decided to reciprocate the hug and carried her hands to the blonde’s back, leaving them rest on the pink cloth. A shiver ran through Pippa's back as he felt Hecate's cold fingers there, though a smile settled on her lips when she felt her stop shaking so violently. Since arriving at the academy that day, she had been being guided by impulses, also when embracing Hecate. Something inside told her it would help her friend, but the witch didn't understand why it would._

_However, Pippa carried a hand to the woman’s cheek and gently caressed it, after which she placed a lock of jet hair behind her ear. She could feel Hecate's body slowly picking up temperature, just as the tremors were shrinking until they disappeared._

_“I... That tea... I... I would like...” Hecate's voice was hoarse and sounded quite shy and insecure, as always when she had the other witch so close. But the taller one didn't make a single move to let go of her friend and make it easier for her to get the tea._

_“I'm glad to hear that, although I have to add at least one cookie or sandwich to the deal" the blonde whispered, still with her face buried on Hecate’s shoulder."Though I didn't think a hug of mine could warm you up so much.”_

_As soon as the last word came out of her lips, Pippa realized how bad that had sounded and how easy to misunderstand her words were. The witch noticed her cheeks turning on and turned red completely, suddenly heated. Apparently, that had also happened to Hecate, who had drawn that second thought from what the woman had said._

_“I... I'm going to get that tea” Pippa moved enough to let go of the witch and try to stand up, though she stopped feeling long, still a little cold, fingers curling on her wrist._

_“No... Please stay with me" for the first time in years, Hecate's voice sounded as vulnerable and broken as the one of the girl who had come to Cackle's without knowing anyone and had suffered all kinds of bullying from her companions. With a brief nod, Pippa again hugged her friend and moved until she was sitting comfortably. “Thank you...”_

_“You have nothing to be grateful for, Hiccup. I'm here and I'll always be here. I'm not going to leave, even if you try to kick me out or walk away again. This time I'll stay here and neither you nor your bighead are going to stop me, is that clear?”_

_“Yes, Pipsqueak" it was a whisper, but the blonde could feel Hecate's smile on it as she hid her head in the crock of her neck again._

_“Good, because that means you're going to see The Witch Wears Prada with me after our chess game.”_

_Pippa had arrived at Cackle's in the afternoon, but it was not until noon the next day that she left the academy. Neither she nor Hecate had realized how late it was until after midnight, so the dark-haired insisted it was a bad idea to fly back to Pentangle's at that hour._

_Pippa, having to agree with her, accepted the offer to stay and sleep there. Hecate transformed the sofa in the living room, that connected her bedroom to the teacher’s corridor, into a bed, thus giving the blonde some intimacy was easier, before disappearing across the door. The blonde realized that, instead of closing it, she had left it ajar. This gave her a sense of warmth, just as certain concern; she knew Hecate wasn't as well as she had struggled to appear since they had had tea, played the chess game and watched the film proposed by Pippa._

_Both witches said their goodnights with a "night" followed by their respective nicknames and went to sleep. While the headmistress of Pentangle's struggled to fall asleep, unable to put aside the concern she felt for the woman she loved, Hecate went in and out of a light sleep to another, tormented by nightmares, until she finally awoke from one with a cry of terror. Her cameras were soundproof, so no one outside of them could hear anything, but someone who was already there could do it._

_Of a leap and half asleep, Pippa got up and ran to the dark-haired’s bedroom, looking for her figure in the dark. With a movement of her hand she lit a soft light and then went to bed, contemplating a hectic Hecate. She said nothing for a moment, not until she had climbed into bed and tucked her under the blankets on the free side next to the witch, not until she held her in her arms and began stroking her hair, hoping to calm her. Knowing no one but Hecate touched the jet strands and yet she let her do it was comforting and even left a certain sense of tranquility in the blonde._

_“I couldn't sleep either, I was reading some curious things about magic ice” Pippa's voice was soft and warm, keeping a low volume, enough to make Hecate relax a little more and start to take on measured air._

_“And what did say what you were reading?” A thin thread of voice left her pale lips, imbued with curiosity, though devoid of strength for more._

_“A lot of things, actually. There are many studies and theories about it, but no one has come up with a key or a cure for the effects it leaves when it disappears. However, one of the theories struck me, saying that doing something that occupies a place close to the heart of the witch who has suffered it can cure the aftermath” Pippa's words sounded almost a question, but Hecate said nothing about it, she just closed her eyes. Feeling something was beginning to break inside the potion mistress, Pippa continued to speak, aware that it was helping Hecate the most at the time. “But as I said, it's just theories. Like the ones about the forest fairies surrounding the academy or about the unicorn that inhabits the valley, across the academy… I really like unicorns, I even have a hoodie with one”_

The memory of that night always made Pippa smile. Although memories were pretty much everything she'd been able to hold on to the last two months... Well, memories and a letter Hecate wrote to her and Pippa read every time a strange feeling of anxiety, pain and sadness made her wake up every night. The witch did not know where those emotions came from, or why they were there, but she did know that they would not let her sleep until several hours later, when she had run out of tears and her eyes were too tired to remain open.

But four days had passed since the course had ended, there was not a single student left in the academy, or at least none who had a place to return to. Pippa had spoken to her deputy and a couple of teachers, who willingly agreed to take over the academy and the remaining children for at least a week. The witch hadn't told them where she was going, but for all the school staff it was so obvious that they didn't even need to ask about it. Lillian Hearthstone, her deputy, had been the first to open the betting pool on how long it would take both witches to confess their feelings and be together, over time, almost all the academy staff had joined the competition and had added more bets such as "how many excuses Pippa would use to go visit her", "how long she would be able to stay without going to see her", "how long it would take to acknowledge loudly that she felt something for Hecate". Luckily or unfortunately for the two witches, Cackle's staff were also included in that pool and by then, it was Miss Drill who had most wins and points accumulated; all of it, of course, without either Pippa or Hecate knowing.

As soon as she set foot on the lawn at the entrance of the academy, Pippa felt an unknown magic around her, wrapping her and making her disappear from the yard. The witch was used to Hecate doing that, she even thought it was a nice and cute thing, which showed that she was always attentive to her arrival, but that was not the magic of the brunette. When she appeared in Ada Cackle's office, her broom and travel cloak had disappeared, as had her hat. The witch wore her blonde hair collected in a tail that left some loose locks as bangs, her pink dress was as tight as ever, albeit from a somewhat fresher cloth given that they were in summer. Still, the most remarkable was her expression of confusion and surprise; something that, unlike the slight shadows under her eyes, she could not hide with makeup.

Before her was Ada, sitting behind her desk and with a grave grimace of concern, and Dimity, who kept walking back and forth, nervous. The whole academy had a strange and unsettling air, probably because of the absence of children, what else could it be if not? Although, it did not explain the status of the two women before her, nor why she had been invoked there.

“We were going to call you... Well, I was going to do it, Miss Cackle said it was better to wait, that you'd be busy...” The PE teacher seemed to be short of breath, but Pippa deduced that she was pretty anxious about something.

“I'm so sorry I brought you here without permission, Miss Pentangle, but the guards warned us of your arrival, and we need your help. Well met” the lowest one took a hand to her forehead, never losing her composure.

“Don't worry, well met, Miss Cackle... “After saying that, she imitated the woman's gesture and brought her eyes to the brunette. “What happened? How can I help? And for Morgana’ shake where's Hecate?”

The two witches looked at each other, silently, unanswered. Ada stood up and toured the room until she reached a small table, on which there was a teapot with several cups. She served tea in three of them, almost forcing the other teacher to answer those questions.

“You see, Pippa... A lot has happened lately...” The woman came up to the blonde's side and took her hand, shying away from her gaze. “Indigo Moon recently returned. It was a lot for her, she wasn't right... None of us realized until it was too late… Well I tried to help but she just said she would hex me if I said one more word about the...”

“Indigo Moon?” Without letting Dimity end, Pippa uttered the girl's name in anger. She was unaware of what had happened, but she did know three things for sure: that she was the person for which Hecate stopped paying all her attention to her, that she disappeared from one moment to the next and that destroyed her best friend, and that since she had left , her best friend had not been the same again, she had changed, had turned off and finally stopped talking to her for no reason she knew. In addition to being jealous, Pippa had a great resentment towards that witch for hurting the person she loved.

“Oh... so you know about her?" Dimity sounded a little surprised, when Ada had told her the story she had hinted that no one except Hecate herself, Mrs Cackle, the Great Wizard, the academy staff at the time, and she herself knew what had happened. "Anyway... The thing is, we haven't heard from her for days, and we're worried.”

“I'm sure she's with Indigo, you don't have to worry about her either.” The blonde hissed that in a furious murmur. She illusioned in vain, she knew she shouldn't have, but she had come to think that maybe she had a chance with Hecate.

“Miss Moon is just as worried as we are…" This time it was Ada who intervened, almost as if she was reading the other headmistress’ mind. "Hecate has locked herself in her room for four days, she does not answer when we speak to her, we believe that she has made every crystal surface disappear, and so we cannot call her either, the door is magically sealed... We can't even send her food with magic.” Now that Pippa was silent and beginning to understand the gravity of the situation, Miss Cackle waited a few seconds before she continued. “We thought... We believe that if anyone can get to her, it's you, Miss Pentangle. Could we ask you to try? We are all very concerned about her...” Ada’s voice was cut off when her maglet rang, without hesitation for a second she took it and rode the message. “Mildred Hubble again...”

“Surely they're all taking turns... Do you want me to answer for you?”

“No, no, I'll do it... As I said, everyone in the academy is worried about her, after everything that happened, it's not for less...”

“I'll do everything in my hand, Miss Cackle." As soon as Pippa heard the situation they were really in, she knew she would do anything to help Hecate, to make her be well. She devoted a meaningful look to both witches, waiting for them to nod before turning around and heading for the door.

Once the door closed behind her and the witch found herself alone in the hallway, she took a deep breath and leaned against the wall, needing a few seconds to assimilate everything she had been told. If she wanted to help her best friend, she needed to put aside that stupid jealousy she had of Indigo Moon... As beautiful or interesting as she could be, as much as she would have improved with age... Pippa didn't even know how she was like, but Hecate wasn’t fine because of her, again... She wasn't going to allow it.

Pippa broke away from the wall and began to walk through the labyrinthine corridors of Cackle's, towards the faculty wing. At every step she took, her speed increased, though Hecate wasn’t going to appear in front of her, looming with her deep voice in a scary mood, she never ran. Her heart was beating with such force that it seemed to come out of her chest at any moment, but the dark-haired witch never left her mind, she was very worried about her. 

It was then that a body somewhat smaller than hers hit her, causing Pippa to stagger and almost fall. The student had to hold on to Pippa's arm so she wouldn't fall, though she quickly let go when she realized it. As much as the teachers had told her that it was forbidden to run down the corridors, the rules had never been her forte.

“Holy sh-Saturday... I'm sorry, I hadn't seen you... And I wasn't running, I promise!" The dark-skinned, black-haired young girl sounded quite remorseful and nervous, she seemed worried.

“You have nothing to worry about, honey, we all have accidents, besides, it was my fault, I was running.” The blonde winked at the younger girl and offered her a warm smile, before putting a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. “I hope I didn't hurt you.”

“Yes... Well no, but it's not for this... Still, I'm so sorry Miss...” The child raised both eyebrows, silently asking about the identity of the woman.

“Pentangle, Pippa Pentangle.” She took a hand to her forehead, without losing that smile that masked the storm that had unleashed inside.

“Don't you fu-nny me...” The girl opened her eyes like plates, watching the witch from top to bottom, doing her best to control her vocabulary. It was the first time they met in their entire lives, but now Indigo understood many things. “She was right when she said that you were super pretty and that anyone could spend hours looking at you...” The girl mumbled to herself, before smiling a little and raising a hand, more relaxed. Mildred had told her that when Miss Pentangle appeared, Joy became much happier and less... Miss Hardbroomer. Besides, her friend spent all her time talking about her and rightly so. “I have to make a call, good luck, see you!”

“Wait, what...?”

But she was already gone, leaving a blushing and confused Pippa. Who was that child and why did she tell her that? She gently shook her head, dispelling those thoughts from her mind before resuming her path. She had a few meters left to reach Hecate's cameras, but she could perfectly feel the spiral of emotions she had felt in recent months intensified and presented to her. Now, sensing the magic to move around her, Pippa began to think that maybe it wasn't her feelings that had been haunting her, after all.

Before a second thought, Pippa's fingers were on the doorknob and they were turning it to open it. The witch felt a familiar magic curling up on her wrist before running her from head to toe, comforting her in a way only Hecate’s magic did. She knew that Hecate was powerful, that she would have many barriers and guards placed, that no one had managed to get in, but after that kind of contact, the door opened like any normal door. Pippa crossed the threshold without any problems, finding no resistance or spell prepared. She closed behind her and looked around. Everything was exceedingly dark to the point that she saw nothing but blackness around her. Pippa raised a hand to open the curtains and windows with a single gesture. It was clear that no one had been in or out of there for days, that it had been all closed, dark, sad and silent.

Pippa moved calmly and silently, until she stopped in front of her friend's bedroom door. This time she did call gently, letting her knuckles ring on the wood of the door a couple of times. She got no answer, but she could feel Hecate's magic on the other side as clearly as if she were seeing it at that very moment.

“Hiccup?”

Again, no one answered. Pippa didn't plan to stand by, so she took her hand back to the door handle and opened it carefully and slowly. Inside the room, again there was nothing but darkness. Aware of the strong change it might bring to the witch if she repeated the actions of the previous stay, Pippa invoked a little flame in front of her, enough to allow her to distinguish some forms in front of her when she closed the door. The room was completely shattered, furniture and glass broken, some things set on fire, splinters on the floor... They were more than enough evidence to show that mixing magic and feelings never worked out, that even Hecate couldn't control that mixture.

Hecate laid on the bed, covered in blankets and in a complete silence. Her breathing was regular and her chest rose and lowered slowly. She was alive, something Pippa was infinitely grateful for. She looked asleep, so the witch carefully approached the bed, as she let her magic move around the room, ordering it, slowly opening a bit one of the curtains and making the flame disappear. She carefully took a seat on the edge of the bed, enough to make the brunette's eyes open with over jump. The potions teacher took a few seconds to react, blinking a couple of times to focus on the figure in front of her; once she succeeded, she observed her in silence, with neutral expression and lost gaze.

“Hiccup?”

Hecate took her gaze to her friend's chocolate eyes as the only answer. It was then that Pippa realized how tired and sad they seemed, of the pain they reflected. The headmistress of Pentangle's carried her right hand to the other witch's cheek and left a gentle caress over her, her fingers barely rubbing pale skin. She observed only with that gesture her friend's lower lip began to tremble, her eyes to get wet and her magic to shake. She didn't need anything else to lean forward and wrap Hecate in her arms, she should have done that from the first moment, but she was aware of how reluctant her friend was to physical contact.

“Whatever it is, I'm here, I got you.” Her voice came out in a whisper, sweeter than any tone she had ever used, against the witch's dark hair, who instead of hugging her had chosen to snuggle up against her, sticking as much as possible.

Hecate's face was hidden against the pink witch's shoulder, her hands grasped weakly the pink cloth at the height of her abdomen, as if she were afraid that she would disappear from one moment to the next, her whole body trembling with every breath, though the tears they shed could easily be counted. As far as Pippa knew, Hecate hadn't eaten or drank anything for days, probably even longer, she knew her enough to know how her beloved reacted to certain kinds of situations; it was a miracle she was conscious.

“I'm going to get you something to drink and eat, okay? You're too weak, Hiccup.” She left a caress on the woman's back, tenderly, while her voice remained as sweet and affectionate as she always was to Hecate, if not more.

“No" It was a mixture between a whining and a plead. With her throat shattered by crying and screaming, between nightmares and anxiety attacks, Hecate could not do much more, though she did her best in saying the next she wanted to. “D-don't leave me.”

“I won't, Hecate, ever again." To reaffirm her words, she left a kiss on her forehead. "I will warn Dimity then... Tell me what else you need, anything, please.”

This time, the brunette remained silent, still in the arms of the blonde. She had almost all she needed right then, and she was going to hold on to the promise that she wasn't going to leave her. Hecate closed her eyes and whispered something, but Pippa couldn't hear it. She was going to ask her what she had said when she noticed the potion teacher's breathing becoming moderately regular. Since she could not do much more, Pippa chose to look for a more comfortable position and lie on the bed, keeping a firm grip around the woman's body.

She waited a few more minutes, before summoning her own travel mirror.

“Dimity Drill.”

The mirror emitted a gentle vibration before contacting the mirror closest to the brunette, who, to Pippa's relief, did not even take ten seconds to respond. The blonde tried to brush the mirror so that, even in the scarcity of light, only she would be seen to her and the only recognizable thing about Hecate was part of her hair.

“Oh, so she let you in… I guess she always had a type.” The woman tried to joke and even winked at her, but the worry did not leave her face. “Tell me she is alive.”

“She's alive, Dimity, calm down. She's probably gone longer than we think, she's weak and has almost no strength. Would you mind bringing something to eat? I don't want to leave her alone... If you could bring tea it would be wonderful.”

“Count on it, Pippa. Is there anything else I can do?”

“I can't think of anything else, for the moment we'll have to settle for her to eat something and then see how she continues.”

“All right, in ten minutes I'll be there, I'll take a little of everything, just in case." After the blonde's nod to her words, Dimity cut off the connection and set out a run to the kitchens. If they were going to give Hecate anything to eat, the least she could do was to stop Miss Tapioca from giving her any of her unpleasant meals.

About half an hour later Dimity materialized next to two floating food trays and a teapot, in front of Hecate's cameras door. She was aware that her colleague did not trust enough anyone but Pippa Pentangle, but until Ada told her what had happened to Indigo Moon she had not understood why. Now, the PE teacher was beginning to get some ideas about the functioning of Hecate Hardbroom's mind; as far as she had come to suppose, for HB approaching someone meant corrupting her and ruining her life as had happened with Indigo. She always kept herself distant from all over the world, she built impassable walls and frightened teachers and students. But she was also the first person to step up when there were problems, to offer her help, and to be willing to sacrifice for any of the girls, and even the teachers. Dimity had spent years judging the brunette, her way of being, her behavior; but over the years and catastrophes, she had been able to see how the potion teacher really was and how she was trying to hide it from everyone. Miss Drill knew that the witch's alter ego, which the students had nicknamed as Miss Softbroom, was closer to the insides of Hecate, then the dark terrifying witch everybody saw everyday, even if she did her best to suppress and mask it.

And she cared. Not just her, but the students. After the last day of school, when the wishing star of Ethel Hallow had attacked the academy, when they had brought Indigo back and saved the academy, Hecate had vanished as she always did, leaving everyone behind. The girls insisted on going to pick her up, but Miss Cackle told them she needed some time alone and that she would be fine... But it was four days ago, and everyone knew that Hecate Hardbroom wasn't fine.

Indigo had rejected Mildred's proposal to spend the summer with her and Julie, she didn't want to leave without saying goodbye to Joy, so she was walking around the halls of the academy waiting for her old best friend to open the door for her so they could clear things up. Ada made three attempts a day, one at every meal, and had even tried to talk to her from the outside. Miss Bat had chosen to leave one of her armchairs by the door and spent her afternoons reading magazines and telling her all the news, even if she wasn't listening to it. At least twenty students, including Maud, Mildred, Enid, Felicity, Bea, Sybil, Clarice and Esmeralda, had written messages to Miss Cackle's maglet asking about Miss Hardbroom's status on a daily basis. Dimity herself had tried to knock down the door threatening the witch with myriad things. Although she didn't know to what extent "I'll bring Pippa Pentangle herself here if necessary" was a threat, but she would really have done anything to help her friend... Because yes, even if she didn't want to, even if she walked away, sometimes she was unfriendly or cold, she was her friend.

Dimity carried a hand to the doorknob and pushed forward, intending to open the door. The problem was that, as on all previous occasions, the door remained motionless and completely sealed.

“What the hell...?" She murmured, but then she raised her voice high enough for half the castle to hear it. “Pentangle! Your girlfriend is not letting me in, tell her that if she doesn’t open the door, I’ll tear it down!”

Although she was distracted looking at Hecate and stroking some locks of her hair, Pippa listened perfectly to Dimity's words. She could feel her heart stand and her cheeks turned completely red to what she had heard, so she prayed that no one else had done it or seen her reaction.

“You... You go around telling people you're my girlfriend... But you forget to tell me?” Hecate's voice sounded so weak that Pippa was not sure whether she had spoken or had been her own mind. Surely, if not for the slight movement in her arms, she would have thought the latter.

“I... We... I don't know where... I don't know where she got that...” The blonde ran, more blushed yet. “I thought that when I had arrived you had opened the door, why can't she come in?”

“I didn't open the door." She took a break, needing to take a breath of air before continuing. "I just never closed it for you." With those words, the dark-haired closed her eyes and managed to concentrate enough that the door would open for the third witch.

“You are the most adorable witch in the world, Hiccup, but we'll talk about it later... Now, if you don't want a certain sports teacher to marry us in the next two minutes, I'm going to get up and finish opening what's left of the windows, but I'm not moving out of this room. Is that all right with you?” Pippa broke up enough to look her best friend in the eye, believing she was certainly displeasured at those words.

Hecate finally sighed and nodded, although she responded to that in her mind with a "I wouldn't bother..." as the blonde slowly let go and got up, stretching a little. She was with her back to the dark-haired, but turned quickly, between confused and surprised.

“That she got us married?” She just teased, having heard clearly what Hecate had ‘said’.

“Pardon me?” Hecate rang out amid alarmed and embarrassed, but she just made a ball in her bed and covered herself up to her ears.

“You said you wouldn't mind." Still with her cheeks completely red, the witch opened the curtains of the two remaining windows, sighing in the absence of crystals. She'd fix them later.

“I didn't say any sort of thing...” And despite the sincerity of her words, Pippa knew that she had heard her say it.

“For a moment I thought I'd have to kick the door down! Merlin's beards, you had us all worried, HB.” Dimity approached and had the floating trays and kettle deposited on the living room table as she walked through the bedroom door.

“I see you're fulfilling your threats, Miss Drill.” Despite the attempt to normalize the situation with one of their typical taunts, and looking to Pippa while she was giving her back to them, the other two witches noticed the discouragement of the potions teacher and the sadness emanating from her voice.

“Yes, well, something I have had to do if I wanted to be invited to the wedding, right?” She winked at them, earning a little shout on Pippa's part, as well as the blush of both women; she didn't like to lose and she was no cheater, but her bet was three years and she was running out of time... Besides, those two looked like idiotic teenagers, clearly, they needed help. Ada had been too good to say that two months after the Spelling Bee they would have declared themselves.

" _Good thing you haven't seen us together, if not I'm sure you wouldn’t even_ ask" Thought Hecate, too sloon to answer. Pippa, on the other hand, opened her eyes like plates and looked directly at her best friend. Miss Drill didn't seem to have listened to her, but she had done it, quite clearly, she was probably getting mad.

" _For the Goddess shake, Hiccup_ " thought Pippa, not able to say a word.

“Yes?” The potion teacher replied, earning a confused look from both Dimity and Pippa.

“Did you just confirm to me that there will be a wedding, Miss Hardbroom? Because I want to be bride’s maid… Or better, I want to office it.”

“What? No! I... I was just asking...” She looked at Pippa, but the witch seemed too confused to help her.

“Pippa hasn't said anything, don't try to fix it now." And no one was going to take that satisfied smile out of her face.

"Hic- Hecate, I didn’t say a word, dear” And she didn’t she was just thinking about her, but that was impossible for anyone to hear.

“I heard you…” Hecate’s voice sounded so broken that Pippa didn’t hesitate to go back and sit next to her, passing her arm around her waist; she didn’t care about what Dimity could think, she just cared about her best friend.

“It’s okay… Don’t worry, maybe I didn’t notice when I talked…”

“I… I really…” Words didn’t come, so she tried to silence the sob that was meant to replace them.

“I believe you, darling, it will be okay, you just need some rest. But first you should eat something” Pippa was whispering in her ear, trying to forget a very worried Dimity, while she tried to focus on sending all the love she felt to her words. She wanted to protect her friend above anything, she just hoped her love and her magic could be enough.

“Hm…” That was Hecate’s only answer. She felt so weak and tired… The only thing she wanted was to be alone with Pippa, that all around them, all outside her room, disappeared.

“I’m here, Hiccup, I promise I would protect you from everything, even if it’s that woman of the devil. I won’t let you alone.” After Pippa’s words, Hecate pressed herself against her body and nodded.

“Who?” Dimity sounded surprised while curious.

“You know who, Dimity, we talked about it before”

“You’ve told her about Broomhead?” Hecate’s voice sounded extremly alarmed, but when the name escaped her lips she covered them with one hand, almost waiting for the woman to appear in front of them.

“No, but we talked about Indigo… What happens with Mistress Broomhead?”

“Oi! Wait, wait, wait. Just stop for a second… Who’s that Broomhead? What happens with the girl now? What the hell is going on here? Why aren’t you declaring your love for each other”

“What?” Pippa was really confused now. “What girl? I said Indigo, Indigo Moon… And Broomhead was Hecate’s tutor at Weirdsisters, but I think she even met her bef—” She had felt Hecate’s magic, but she didn’t think it was aimed to her… Until she was unable to speak and screamed Hecate’s name in her name, a little angry.

“She was a teacher, that’s it… And why would you call Indigo a woman? She’s not an angel, but for sure she’s not the devil heir…” Hecate tried to fix the situation, unable to understand how Pippa could scream that loud without Dimity noticing, now why her spell didn’t work. “Pips-Pippa you are going to make my head explode, shut up, please…” The dark haired took her hands to her ears, but it didn’t even reduce the noise. She was still under blankets and with her head buried against Pippa’s clothes, so she wasn’t looking at the others witches, who just stared at each other confused. Finally, Pippa’s angry words ceased.

“ _I was not talking, I was… Am thinking… You just muted me with a spell, you silly witch… But you're hearing me! Do you realize that?”_ She stopped her thoughts for a moment, searching for her friend’s face. “ _I don't know how could it be possible, but it's wonderful, you can hear my thoughts. Are you a telepath? You hadn’t told me…"_ Pippa's voice sounded as loud as if he was screaming with joy around her, but her lips did not move.

“ _Don’t be ridiculous…_ ” Hecate thought, before saying. “I think you are overreacting and imagining things, Miss Pentangle”

“Oi, HB, Pippa didn’t speak… You needn’t be that harsh on her, you know”

“ _I am not being ridiculous, Hiccup, I am just thinking while you hear me, but she doesn’t… And I am not imagining thinks… As you would say, it’s only facts._ ” Still being unable to speak, all Pippa could do was to think and to hope Hecate would hear her.

“What the hell...? How are you doing that?” She asked, increasingly confused and finally releasing the spell on Pippa’s lips. “ _Just to make sure… Are you hearing me? Hecate to Pippa, do you copy?”_

_“Oh! I do copy darling! I can hear you too!”_

“I have a feeling I'm missing something... Miss Hardbroom? Pippa?”

“Oh, excuse us Dimity, I just discovered something unexpected...” Despite the curiosity and sadness on Hecate’s voice, Dimity wasn’t able to avoid the tease.

“Well, if we are talking about how in love you are with Pippa, I think you're the last to find out, congratulations HB.”

“W-what?” The blonde's voice was little more than a sharp squeal.

“Get out of here, Miss Drill!”

“It will be my pleasure. My work here is done.” Dimity winked before continuing. “I will inform the girls and the sta—" Before she could finish the sentence, she had already been vanished into a cloud of black smoke.

“Ah… A-about what she said... Don't listen to her, her head's gone... She sees too many magletvissive romances...” Hecate buried herself more against the bed and Pippa, as Pippa drew two freshly-served cups of tea to them, making them float from the living room table. The blonde took a seat to be more comfortable, but kept an arm around her friend, helding one of the cups out.

“Well, she wasn't lying at all either... Drink some, I've added sugar and honey, you need it, even if you don't like the sweetness.” Pippa waited for the dark-haired to come out from under the blankets to put the cup in her hands. Seeing how much she trembled, the blonde left hers floating and laid her own hands on those of Hecate, helping her. “Slowly, darling... There’s no rush.”

While Hecate had to use both of her hands to hold the cup, Pippa sat next to her, one arm around her waist, the other hand helping the potion mistress with her cup. It took the tall witch several minutes and some interventions from her friend to finish it, for she was still very absent and sad. Not even when the witch had finished the cup, the blonde let go of her hands. She was still worried, maybe even some of the jealousy she felt for Indigo was still there, but if there was one thing she was clear, she didn't want to be apart from her friend, even if they could only be that. It was when Hecate came out of the under the sheets that Pippa noticed the clothes she was wearing... More specifically, the only thing she was wearing was a pink hoodie with a unicorn on the front; a sweater that Pippa had first worn as a pyjamas the previous year, one of the times she had decided to spend the night at Cackle's, so she had decided to leave there for the next time she did, becoming her usual garment when that happened.

“It suits you better tan me, Hiccup.” Pippa leaned foward so she could kiss her friend’s temple.

“S-sorry… I just missed you so much… I can change if you want, really, I…”

“There’s no need, darling. I meant it, that hoodie looks better in you, as does everything.”

“T-thank you…” They kept the silence for a second before Hecate, still blushed due to Pippa’s words, spoke again. “What did you mean?” Her voice sounded softer and more stable, though there was something about her that the director couldn't identify.

“About what?”

“With... W-when… You said Dimity wasn't lying at all...” Insecurity, that's what Pippa noticed on the woman’s tone, fear even.

“Well... I know we’ve never talked about it... I didn't know how to do it... But I’ve told you so many times that I… Well… I told you, so I was hoping you could realize it without me having to... For the Goddess, it’s been more difficult to say it in your face than to your portrait… If I had one, because I don’t…”

“Pippa…”

“You know, I’ve been trying to say it for ages, but it’s not that easy, you know… Well, technically I’ve already told you, but I don’t think you have seen it in the way I meant it, you’ve always been so sweet and naïve about everything…”

“Pippa…”

“I mean you are not naïve naïve, but it’s just so cute that you don’t see when people is teasing you until you are in… That’s one of the things I love the most about you, well, I love your intelligence and how easy is for you to say the proper things in the proper time… And well, I wish I could beat you in a chess game, but am glad to look at you while you do it to me…”

“Pipsqueak!” Finally, Pippa stopped talking and stared at Hecate, her cheeks in a dark tone of pink. It was when she didn’t say anything that Hecate explained herself. “I am… N-not following you, I don’t know what you want to say…”

“Oh! I… I am in love with you, Hiccup, I love you, I’ve always done and I will never stop... Even if you're in love with someone else.”

“Someone... Else? "Hecate's face was now an indecipherable puzzle. For a moment, Pippa feared that her confession would have been indifferent to her, but... “Pippa, I've been in love with you since I was thirteen, I could never have loved anyone but you." The blonde had seen Hecate vulnerable and exposed other times, but never in that way, never as frightened and worried as then.

“But I thought...”

“What? That why I couldn’t express what I felt, I didn't?" The dark-haired ended, just as Pippa had done years ago, when they reconciled. Hecate left the cup on the bed, her right still trembling a little, and turned her hands to intertwine her fingers with those of the blonde, showing some caution in her movements, as if none of that were real, as if anytime something could happen and all of that would disappear. “You are the only witch for which I have ever felt anything... I love you, Pipsqueak, I really do… And I… I should have told you before… If I… If I had, maybe everything would have been different.”

“I love you too, Hiccup." At some point, the tears had begun to roll down her cheeks without any control, but she didn't care, in fact she was more worried about something she had been dying to do for years. Pippa let go of one of the hands she had intertwined with Hecate's and took it to the dark-haired’s cheek, drawing closer.

" _We should also talk about this..._ " Hecate thought, curious if it really worked.

"Maybe later, now kiss me, for the Goddess’ shake, you silly witch."

And with a smile, the first in days, Hecate did what Pippa asked her to do, without a second thought. Hecate could feel something being slowly fixed inside her, something that had been broken for so long. Maybe it wasn't going to be the cure for the state she was in, but it was much better balm than she could ever have imagined. Hecate's free hand rested on Pippa's tight, but moved to her hip, pulling slightly of her to make her closer, while continuing the kiss without haste, with all the delicacy possible for someone like her.

At some point, Pippa ended up straddling Hecate, with one hand on her cheek and the other tangled in her hair, deepening the kiss and keeping Hecate against the head of the bed. Hecate's hands had passed from the blonde's hip to walk all her back and abdomen tentatively, carefully, always slowly and waiting for some permission... Perhaps things would have come to more if Hecate's stomach had not decided to manifest her hunger at the time, growling and making her growl louder in frustration. Pippa laughed against her lips, leaving a couple more kisses on them before breaking away.

“We'll have time for this later... Let's get something to eat, Hiccup, you need it… And I am not going anywhere this summer, I can work from here, you know.”

_"I can think of a lot of things more appealing than food_..." She mentally complained, with a certain childish tone, forgetting for a moment that Pippa could hear her.

“I can't believe you just said that!” Pippa's cheeks had acquired a pink color, but far from offended, she just seemed surprised. "And we'll see when you’ve eaten what Dimity brought, we have time and a lot to talk about.”

“Fine... But I… I don't want to get out of here... Or see anyone...” Her voice was still sad and defeated, the precious smile no more than a ghost and a good memory.

“Deal, we'll stay in your rooms for today, if you promise to eat, have tea and diner with me." Upon receiving a nod as confirmation, Pippa rose from her, knelt in the bed to leave a kiss on her cheek, stood up and reached out to her. “Come on, you can see it as a date, if you want.”

“It would… It would be acceptable.”

“Acceptable? That’s the most you thing that I’ve heard from you today.”

“Indeed… I may be becoming softer…”

Pippa was doubting if it was a statement or a question, but didn’t press, instead, she smiled and rolled her eyes. “Oh, hush you silly witch.”

Hecate cast aside the blankets, sighing when the black shorts she wore under the long pink hoodie revealed her long, pale legs, in which the shadows of some cuts could be seen. Pippa, however, mentioned nothing about it and merely circled her waist to make sure she didn't fall off. She still didn't know how long it was really since the dark-haired had eaten and she didn't plan to risk anything happening to her. Not as long as she could do something about it, as long as she could protect her from everything. She didn’t care if she had to fight the world for Hecate, she would if neccesary.

* * *

That same afternoon, a message arrived at Lillian Hearthstone's maglet.

_You owe me a date with Julie Hubble, they talked about their feelings before the deadline._

_You think they're going to invite us to the wedding? We've done a great job with them._

Despite losing the bet, Lillian could not prevent a big smile from drawing on her lips before the news, he was so happy for Pippa... And well, it's not like she bothered, especially, owes Dimity Drill a date with Julie Hubble… Maybe she will even open a new pool with the two of them.

**Author's Note:**

> Maybe I write a second part in which Hecate tells Pippa what happened with Indigo and about what happened, maybe even about Broomhead. But I was getting very long and I did not want it to be too much.
> 
> If you want a second part or that I write more of that the story in another chapter, dealing more with the subject of telepathy and the magic link, Indigo and Broomhead, tell me in the comments, if you liked the story, you are also free to do so.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, I really appreciate it, hope you are fine <3


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